The End's Illusion
by InkStainedGhost
Summary: Not all demons are as straight forward as they appear. Not all are easy to defeat. When Inuyasha, Kagome and the rest go on another search for the Shikon jewel shards, they encounter a demon far more sinister than Naraku himself, and this time, the consequences are far more immense and fatal. COLLABORATION! Created with a friend on DA! (Link to her page is on my ff page)
1. Prologue, A Memory of Anguish

**Prologue, A Memory of Anguish.**

~X~

_Hassan Higurashi, my dad. The most wonderful man in the world. _

_Born 15th September 1954. _

_I was too young to remember what happened the day he died, I was only a child with a curious mind living in a massive world with so much to explore. The thought of my dad leaving the planet - leaving me and my mum to fend for ourselves in this life - never occurred to me. Again, I was so very young, too small to understand what it meant to have someone close to you die in an accident. _

_I remember one time when I was five years old, I climbed up the steep steps of our house and crept closer to my mum's bedroom where I heard the sound of pages turning. I left the stairs behind me, peering my little head around the door. My mum was comfortably perched on the end of her king sized bed, with her head down and looking through some sort of book that was bigger than her lap. As I entered her head jerked up in alarm, but as her eyes settled on my face a gentle smile replaced the worry. "Kagome," she whispered, I could hear the smile shining in her voice. "Come here." Her right hand patted the space beside her, inviting me to sit, so I did. Crossing the room I climbed onto the bed, snuggling beside my mum, I tilted my head against her shoulder, looking down at the photo album in her lap. _

_"You know who that is?" Mum said, pointing at a photo of a man with jet black hair that spiked out at the side of his head, making him look like he had an extra pair of fluffy ears. His hair didn't grow past his neck or shoulders like mine did, but you could tell that we were related somehow. At the time I couldn't see any resemblance - because as a child who would look for something like that? But the man also had the same eye color as me, the same face structure, the same chin, the same smile. The only thing different were his ears, they looked a little bit small for his big head. _

_"That's your daddy," Mum continued when I didn't answer. "You weren't old enough to remember when he died. Do you remember what I told you? That day he was in a car crash and him and I both were badly injured." I remember watching her shake her head slowly, looking down at a picture of her and her husband together, grinning together. She reflected back to that most painful chapter in her lifetime. Her finger thumb the picture, tracing the outline of the man's chin. _

_We remained silent after that for a couple of minutes, both of us studying the photos. _

_"I tried to comfort him, despite my injuries. But he was dead before the ambulance got there." My mum averted her gaze just then to look elsewhere, the sunlight that crept through the bedroom window made the water balancing in her eyes glisten and gleam like glitter. She tried not to blink, because if she did fresh tears would begin streaming down her cheeks, it crossed my mind that she was doing her best to conceal her emotions to show her daughter how much of a strong woman she was. Even at a young age, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. _

_"Kagome," Mum whispered tenderly, turning her head back to my direction. There was so much kindness reflecting off her face, and the closer I studied her, I realized how much older she looked than usual. With tears brimming her eyes it made her put on a few years. "You daddy would have loved to see you now."_

~X~

Silent tears streamed down Kagome's face as she reflected back to those memories in her mind. They were indeed painful. But she knew all too well that emotions were better out than bottled up inside of her. Even though she never met her father in person, she still remembered that photograph of him, the memory of his face was imprinted like a tattoo inside her brain so that she could never forget his image.

"My dear," said an elderly woman who wore a black eye patch over her left eye. "This seems very emotional for ye," Kaede said softly in a soothing tone of voice. She lent forward on her knees, stretching her palms flat out towards a small fire that was blazing in the middle of the room. "But me must know, why are ye telling me this?"

Kagome gazed up at Kaede, a sad smile crept up on her face for a split second before it dissolved once more, leaving her with the tears of time. "I feel that at least one person should know of my past. That way, if something did happen to me, at least someone will know." Kagome said honestly.

"Why don't ye tell Inuyasha?" The woman tilted her head with curiosity. But Kagome wasn't looking, she was too busy staring down at her knees which she suddenly found her green skirt so memorizing.

"I don't think he would really listen or take me seriously."

The old woman studied Kagome's expression for any bizarre signs, but all she found was misery. It was strange to see Kagome looking so solemn, too in deep thought for her liking. She craved for the old ladys help, but at the same time she didn't want to sound needy.

"I think Inuyasha is a little more considerate than ye suppose him to be," Kaede replied with a reassuring smile. "But if you don't want to tell him, that's understandable. Your secret is safe with me." The young girls head snapped back. The usual shimmer returned to her honey brown orbs at the mention of 'your secret is safe with me', and a more genuine smile poked up her cheeks.

"Thank you" Kagome replied more cheerfully.

Kaede gave away one of her single nods. "Let us just hope that a time won't come where you'll regret not telling him."

"I don't think that'll happen," Kagome replied rising from the wooden floor of Kaede's hut. She thanked the old Priestess for time before waving farewell. Then she may her exit, casually strolling for the door and off to join her friends who were probably still waiting for her.

By the time she got to the well - an old portal which connected this demon dimension to her reality - with her bow gripped in her hands and her backpack slung over her shoulder, she saw Sango and Miroku preparing themselves to go on another expedition. Shippo and Kirara sat by the bottom of the well both gazing up at the clear sky cloud watching. Kagome smiled at the pair, admiring how adorable they looked together, then her attention was withdrawn by an abrupt rustling of leaves. She blinked, casting her eyes further up one of the tallest trees, her gaze settled on a figure perched lazily on a thick branch. They were dressed in a crimson coat that their body practically drowned in. Their arms were crossed over their chest. And as Kagome looked up, at the same time the males gaze turned to look at her. Kagome couldn't help but notice that the man wore his usual blank expression, looking at him was like watching paint dry.

"Took your time, where have you been?" Inuyasha growled with irritation. He hopped down from where he sat in the tree, walking right up to Kagome's face, invading her personal bubble. Yes, he did seem to have developed a habit of doing that only to her.

"Well, I did run. And I was with Kaede," Kagome tried to sound as calm as she could. But deep down she had the equal amount of frustration as her companion did.

The half demon scoffed, bring up his arms to cross over his chest again. "What were you doing with that old wench?" There was contempt embedded in his tone of voice, and Kagome frowned. That certain word forming on her tongue, a word that she was glad only she could say. Wordlessly the mortal turned her back to Inuyasha and sighed.

"Osuwari." She hissed through gritted teeth. Immediately, the purple necklace around the demon's neck glowed brightly, the piece of jewelry yanked him down abruptly and his body followed, crashing to the ground with a massive thud, face first.

This act always sent Shippo rolling on the floor in a giggling fit. Sango and Miroku's reaction was a combination of displeasure and amusement. Nevertheless, they managed to muffle their laughter by coughing.

Inuyasha peeled his face from the earth. "Kagome," he growled as he threw daggers up at her with flaring eyes of resentment. "Get some control of yourself, woman!" With her back still facing him, Kagome simply shrugged. She wasn't going to fight back, there was no point.

"Once you two have finished, may we get going?" Sango said politely. Inuyasha staggered to his feet and nodded. The group then left the village and continued their quest to find the remaining pieces of the Shikon Jewel. Little did they know however, that this time, they would encounter something very different.  
Something that was far more dangerous and sinister than Naraku himself.


	2. Chapter 1, Dark Luck

**Chapter 1, Dark Luck**

* * *

The shadows flickered and moved oddly within the massive trees of the Timber Wolf forest. It was night. And a herd of villagers were making their way through the woods and into the heart of it. There was an enormous full moon hovering just above the trees that framed the forest. It cast a large silver blue light strong enough to throw shadows and made everything look like it was underwater, an impression that was strengthened by the gentle breeze blowing the soft grasses against the villagers bare ankles in sweeps and whirls like waves lapping sweetly against a shore. That same wind was lifting leaves from the ground, blowing in the direction the village people were walking, guiding them like using a star to guide shepherds.  
Suddenly they stopped at the edge of a massive lake, and each one of them was trying to squint so they could get a closer look at what was going on in the darkness. In the heart of the lake, just in front of the shadows of the trees, a shape materialized from the water. You could see his body because of the moonlight that caught the smooth, naked lines of his skin.

It was the body of a man with muscles as strong as a gorillas, and a stomach so flat it looked untouchable. He had jet black hair that was long but not long enough to reach past his naked shoulders. Thick strands of it poked out from the side and above his head, messy and unkempt, but that was one of the features that made him look desirable. He was completely naked. But none of the village women looked away blushing. Instead they continued to consume his beauty with their eyes, soaking up every last detailed line of him.  
The only thing that seemed odd about this beautiful stranger was that his eyes were sealed shut. He didn't open them to look at anyone. Blindly his left hand raised from his side and slowly, he pointed his index finger at one of the villagers at random. It was a woman.

All eyes turned on her. And instead of running up to the naked man like she should have, she hesitated. Shot dead in her tracks like a deer in the headlights. Unable to move herself quicker out of fear. Her eyes were as wide as an elastic band. She looked around the villagers seeking help from them, but none of them spoke up.

"You hesitate, my love?"

At the sound of his voice a shiver passed through her body, and terrible, mocking laughter whispered through the leaves of the trees. She hadn't moved her feet, but her body was slowly being drawn toward him, like his voice was pulling her in like a black hole in space. Wordlessly she obeyed and strolled through the crowd. Every eye watching her, judging her. Was this her fate? To be picked by a strange man that everyone feared.

She reached the man. Walking over the water like a god. Then she looked up...and up...

It was the love of her life, her husband. Her dead husband. She'd known it was him from the first words he'd spoken. She just hadn't wanted to admit it to herself. How could it be him if only seconds ago she saw another man standing in his place?

Nightmare—this had to be a nightmare.

Her husband's body was naked, but it wasn't completely substantial. His form wavered and shifted in time with the caressing breeze. Behind him, in the dark green shadows of the trees, she could see the ghostly shapes of his children. The demons. They clung to the limbs with the hands and feet of an inhuman creature, and stared at the woman with soulless eyes from their mutated faces.  
"It's been so long." Slowly, his eyelids began to open, and she stared directly into them. As soon as their gazes sealed together like a padlock, the woman lost all of her willpower all at once. His eyes were dark— a starless sky. They seemed the most substantial thing about him. That and his liquid voice. Even though this is a nightmare, she couldn't muster the strength to pull away. She felt her husbands right hand caress her cheek gently in a way that you would to comfort a timid animal.

Then her husband moved, stepping so close to her that she could feel the chill that came from his unsubstantial body. His arms enclosed slowly around her shoulders, pressing against her back, drawing the woman closer to him. Even though his physical form was only semi-substantial, she could feel him. His skin was so soft. Winter cold against the warmth of her clothes. The outline of the man's body was a frigid mist. It burned her skin, sending electric currents through her veins, heating her with a desire she didn't want to feel but was powerless to resist.  
Giving into this fuzzy feeling, she leaned forward into the comfort of his bare chest, hugging his middle. Closing her eyes and gasping aloud as the chill of his spirit brushed against her skeleton. Sending shooting sensations that were painful but deliciously erotic to places in her body that made her feel out of control like a ravenous vampire craving blood.

"Daishiro..." The woman spoke her husbands name tenderly for the first time in so many years since he died. And in response he laughed. His laugh was seductive. she wanted to drown in it.

The longer Daishiro held firmly onto his wife's body, the more powerless she became. Her skin gradually began disintegrating like ashes fading from a forest fire. Her bones began to fail her, one by one. Until the point where she became paralyzed from head to toe. Then Daishiro's body began to sink back into the lake's water, dragging his wife with him. The villagers did nothing, nor did they show any signs of fright or panic, they just remained standing as still as statues watching this all happen.  
But just before the man and the woman were totally swallowed by the quicksand like-water, Daishiro's black eyes turned crimson. Glowing as brightly as torch light reflecting in the darkness, his eyes were as red as fresh blood. A victorious but sickening grin bloomed upon his lips before his head vanished under water. The surviving villagers waited for a few seconds to pray for the woman's death before they walked back the path they came in utter silence.

Once Daishiro had finished feeding on his wife, he changed into his true form, and his form was not the same as a mere human that some presumed him to be. No. He was a demon. A demon by the name of Hidehisa. He stretched his limbs as he came back to his original form. He looked human, but his limbs were overgrown and twisted. His face old and wrinkled, as if he had lived for thousands of years, which he had.

Hidehisa walked away from the crime scene and back into the forest that surrounded the lake. He walked on for several miles, still not leaving the thick dense foliage. Unfortunately for Hidehisa, life was dull and boring, consuming souls endlessly was not an ideal source of entertainment. So in order to feed his fatigue, Hidehisa liked to stir trouble on certain souls, and the bigger the impact, the better. Right now, that was all Hidehisa wanted to do.

And it seemed today that luck was on his side.

Entering the forest roughly two miles away from where he stood, he sensed five fresh souls. Three humans, one fox demon and a hanyō. Some of them more powerful than others. Hidehisa smirked with a broken smile and approached with caution to get a better look. He was now only a foot away, and he proceeded to look into their bodies. Into their pasts and their futures. You see, Hidehisa liked to cause chaos in a particular way, merely killing people wasn't very amusing at all. No. It had to be more fun and more delved deep into each individual's past, searching for key points which could have an immense turning point in their lives. Usually, it was something simple like turning left instead of right, or saying yes instead of no. But with this lot, it was a little bit more different. The human demon slayer was at war with a loved one. Living in constant concern for her younger brother whose life was entwined with a Sacred Jewel Shard.  
For the monk, he had witnessed the death of his father at such a young age. His fate was also attached to something, and that something was a black hole embedded in his right hand. For the fox demon, he had witnessed the death of his father too, that was the main factor in his life. As was the same for the hanyō.

But unlike the other three, this hanyō wouldn't be the same if he hadn't of met the young human girl carrying the bow and arrow. The one he vowed to protect. Which finally brought Hidehisa to her past. To his delight he sensed a combination of different turning points that could cause mass destruction, but there was one that stood out from the rest. A pastime experience where the domino effect would be so great it would be utterly stupid of him not to go for this option. Hidehisa grinned manically. This was perfect. It was time to put his plan into action.  
The five travelers advanced deeper into the heavy forest, into the heart of the darkest part. And much to Shippo's dislike, they weren't going to turn back. As hard as he tried to swallow his fright, his body said otherwise. He was a nervous wreck, trembling and shaking like a maraca. Shippo wanted to be fearless just like his friends were, but to say that you were going to act brave was easier said than done. He was just a kid after all, can you blame him for being scared.

"Inuyasha," Kagome kept checking on the tiny fox demon clinging onto her shoulder for dear life, acting like he was hanging above a treacherous sea and was about to fall. "Why are we going through this forest? It's causing Shippo some distress, can't we simply go around or something?" She held onto Shippo's hand in attempt to give him some sort of comfort.

"It's quicker this way." Inuyasha growled. "And besides, Shippo's a wimp!"

Suddenly Kagome's face turned hard and her eyes narrowed, glaring at the back of the half-demon's head. Thankfully for him, Inuyasha didn't turn around because if he did he would had dropped dead then and there if her looks could kill.  
She frowned. Gripping onto Shippo even more out of frustration this time rather than comfort. "Osuwari!" She hissed. Forcing Inuyasha to take another trip down to earth.

Inuyasha's rude cursing was muffled by the ground, but Kagome paid little attention to him as she continued on. Stepping over his body as if he was just a mere stepping stone.

Suddenly, there was a shift in the air. The wind became chilly, much colder than usual.

"Kagome?" Shippo said, tugging the fabric of her top. Kagome didn't reply, nor did she acknowledge Shippo's voice vibrating down her eardrum. She scanned her surroundings noticing that the light of the forest began fading away, leaving them in total darkness. The air became a harsh bitter cold as the sounds of the wildlife ceased to be.  
"What's happening?" Sango said cautiously, her fingers clamping around her Hiraikotsu.

"I...I don't know," Kagome's voice stammered. She then felt something being draped over her shoulders like silk, and the sound of a sword being pulled out of its shaft brought her some comfort.

The mortal realised it was Inuyasha's Robe of the Fire Rat covering her shoulders in an attempt to keep her warm. His Tessaiga was clasped tightly in his hands as he awaited for the oncoming danger. The half-breed stood in front of her, shielding her. Making sure that she was protected.  
From out of the foliage emerged a figure. The shadow molded like clay into a shape of a being with a familiar face. Kagome recognized them immediately.

"Otōsan?" It was a one word question. But in her heart, she knew that this figure standing before her wasn't her father. Hassan Higurashi. As much as she wished it was truly him, Kagome knew that something was dangerously wrong. It couldn't be her dad. He was dead and gone long ago.

Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged looks. The hanyō looked utterly confused, but going by the rebuttaled expression she wore he knew that whoever this human was, it wasn't the person Kagome thought.  
"What are you?" She shouted into the darkness. Fear and anger hissing through her teeth and rising in her voice.

"It seems that you are not as stupid as I presumed you to be." The form of her father said as he gradually changed into his original broken form. Chuckling in the process.

Inuyasha swung his deadly blade in a threatening way, and which sliced through the thick mist like cutting a cake. The mist began gathering around them And Kagome found herself edging closer into Inuyasha's back seeking for more protection.

"You have three seconds to tell me what you want with Kagome before I remove you of your limbs!"

"I simply want to help her revive a loved one." Hidehisa said with a twisted false smile.

"I don't like to be fooled!" Kagome snapped back furiously. "Now leave! Or we won't hesitate to kill you."

Hidehisa continued to giggle bitterly. "We'll see," and with that, he waved his hands gracefully, casting some sort of spell upon Kagome causing her to fade out like a transition. Inuyasha lunged quickly. Luckily grabbing a hold of her hand, he vanished like dust into thin air.

Magically they left behind the wildness of Timber Wolf forest. Inuyasha's vision took time to focus due to the fact that he closed his eyes during the teleportation. There were no clouds loitering above and the usually turquoise sky looked down upon him. He gazed around himself dumbfoundedly, and discovered that he was standing on the pavement on modern street in Kagome's world.

As a result the half-breed became even more puzzled as he studied each individual building he laid eyes on. Something gently brushed his left shoulder, and he looked around to see that his mortal companion was still by his side. The sight of her brought him some relief, noting in his mind that she wasn't hurt in anyway at all.  
She was looking around the street as well mirroring his confusion, but those chocolate like orbs glimmered in curiosity. Inuyasha examined her intently. Watching the way her lashes kept flattering like the wings of a butterfly, as if she was trying to hold back tears. Then she stopped. Her head turned into stone. Her brown eyes expanded as wide as a balloon. Obviously disturbed by something as Inuyasha followed the line of her gaze and saw at the other end of the street a man walking across the road. It was then that Kagome started to panic.

"This is it." She said. Inuyasha turned his attention back. And despite how clueless he was, carefully he reached out and cupped his hand in hers.  
Hassan began crossing the road holding a bag of groceries in his left hand. The plastic tore apart suddenly due to the amount of weight, and the vegetables inside the bag clattered like sticks to the floor. Rolling across the empty road. He abruptly swirled round to gather the contents but as he turned back a large car screeched round the corner. The vehicle ran so fast Hassan didn't have time to react. His arms sprang up to his face as him and the car collided.

Kagome looked away. Gripping tighter onto Inuyasha's hand. During her time in the Feudal Era Kikyo had been the only person she had witnessed die before her eyes. But she had never witnessed anything like this before. This was more brutal than watching the young Priestess die peacefully inside Inuyasha's arms. Her teeth grinded against each other as the tears began streaming down her face. The hanyō couldn't help but feel sympathetic. From how similar looking Kagome and this man was, Inuyasha concluded that this man who died before their eyes was her father. And knowing this piece of information his grip on her hand also tightened. Reassuring her through that one touch that she wasn't alone in her grief. He knew what it was like to lose a parent, even though the half-breed was a baby at the time his father died, somehow he could relate to everything Kagome was feeling right now.

But the grief wasn't over just yet.

Instead of showing Hassan's death once, history continued to repeat itself; twice, three times. Four. And five. Stuck on a constant loop like a broken record stuck on a record player, and it seemed that there was no way in stopping this madness. Each time Hassan died more emotional pain was added onto Kagome's regret, rising higher and higher like water filling up a bowl.

She tried to bury her raw emotions like trying to bury a dead body in the woods. This is an illusion, she kept chanting quietly in her head. She had to keep reminding herself of the fact that Hassan died when she was only a baby. She never got to know him properly, let alone even meet him. I mean, she hardly had any memories of him only photos kept in an album. So why was witnessing his death so traumatizing? She never met him. This was supposed to be like watching a total stranger die in movie and not feel a thing for them. Except this total stranger was apart of her life once a long, long time ago.  
"You can stop this you know," whispered an uncanny voice borrowed in the back of her mind. It was Hidehisa's voice. It sounded unkind and merciless like the booming voice of a judge. He was tempting her to do wrong, like the devil tempting Eve to eat one of the apples off the tree. She didn't want to do it. But she felt compelled to do it even if it meant throwing away something precious.

"All you have to do is run and save him."/i Kagome could hear the smile shining in the demon's tone of voice. She hated what he was doing to her, and she tried so desperately hard mentally to not give in. She had to remain strong. Besides, she had Inuyasha beside her, so this should be easy right?

Eventually though, the mortal female cracked the eighth time round. Her legs jolted forward, but a set of hands ripped her away. These hands were strong, demon hands, backed by muscles earned through years of training. It was Inuyasha. Kagome struggled against his hold. Wailing with tears splashing from her eyes.  
"Let me go!" She screamed.

The half-demon locked his arms around hers, pinning both her arms behind her back as if he was a policemen arresting a robber. Suddenly, completely out of nowhere, to his utter and complete disbelief, Kagome lifted her right foot and booted him in the stomach. Which Inuyasha clearly didn't expect. His amber orbs widened in shock—and in a little pain—buckling over in on himself and clenching his stomach hard. Providing Kagome lots of room to shove him away. The free escape space was long enough for Kagome to bolt two steps away, and from there she raced out into the heart of the road.

"NO!" Inuyasha barked but he was too late to stop it. At the precise moment the car shrilled around that corner Kagome threw herself at Hassan, knocking him out of the verchal's range. And just like that Hassan was saved. The past automatically rewrote itself, and Kagome looked over at Inuyasha who remained at the other side of the road. His body suddenly disintegrated into the atmosphere like paper blowing in the wind. Never to exist in her life again.

Kagome's eyes widened at the sight of her companion disappearing. "Inuyasha!"

Hidehisa had done it once again. The future was now falling to pieces. And it would take a miracle to change it.


End file.
